In light of the recent controversy of Reggie Bush giving back the Heisman Trophy that he was awarded in 2005, I wanted to share some insight and opinions that I have.  The trophy was asked to be returned because Reggie Bush received improper benefits while attending and playing football for the University of Southern California.  In a statement yesterday, Bush said that the universities are making money off of the athletes who in return are not paid legally.  He along with many others feels that the athletes deserve something in return for the money that is brought into the school and NCAA.

Now I do have some feelings that the athletes deserve some financial compensation while in school to help them along, but this proves to be an almost impossible task.  There are so many factors that come into play, that it’s not just a simple matter of giving the athletes a check every month.  The student athletes make is possible for the universities to receive money from TV contracts, and games played with other schools that amounts to in many cases millions of dollars.  Head coaches sign large endorsement contracts with companies like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, etc.  that add to a salary that many of us will never ever reach.  These contracts come from the players that they coach wearing uniforms carrying the company’s logo and apparel.  So in essence, the players are a walking billboard for the company and the coaches and universities are the one that are being paid for it.  Another factor is bowl games that are played in football.  The participants of the 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl split a reported $17 million dollars that went directly to each university.   There more than likely was a bonus paid to each coach for their team making it to that bowl game as well.  The players were awarded a ring and apparel for playing in the game.

Being one that believes in balance, here are some of the benefits that the “student” athlete gets for taking part in athletics on the college level.   The athletes are awarded a half or whole scholarship that goes toward their education.  They receive paid for books, meals, and housing on or off campus.  In many case they receive up to $250 a month to go toward meals or entertainment.  They have an opportunity for four years of college education, housing and meals that can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the school.   The biggest and in many cases most important benefit that they receive is a stage to showcase their God given talents that can put them in position to make millions of dollars at the professional level.  And guess what, if they don’t get the opportunity to go pro at their sport, they have an education to fall back.  These things they receive for free all while there is some student at the same college or university that was not blessed with the same athletic skills or ability, that is taking 25 hours a semester and working 30 hours a week!  They are working to pay their own way through school and still amassing a student loan that they will have to pay back after graduation that will more than likely take years to pay back.

The bottom line is, if you pay the athletes, how else do you do it?  Is Reggie Bush value the same as the walk-on kicker or the third string running back?  Who is more valuable to the team?  Is it fair for Division II athletes to make as much as an athlete at the University of North Carolina?  Is it fair for the athlete at Mississippi State to make as much as the athlete at USC when they are not on television as much and may not play in as big a bowl game?  How do you set the standard?  They are amateur athletes, when you take that title away by paying them legally, you run the risk of making college sports more corrupt than they already are!  Yeah they should get paid, I agree. But how do you do it and keep the alleged integrity of the college game??